Star Wars Origins
by Crimsonight
Summary: This is a series of short stories exploring the earlier moments in the lives of popular Star Wars characters. Some are as simple as little Ahsoka first becoming a member of the Jedi Order and others are as complex as exploring how Barriss Offee got her Mirialan tattoos and what they mean. Each chapter will be a new story, so feel free to skip back and forth as I add to this series.
1. Ahsoka Tano - Jedi Initiate - Age: 3

**"First Class"**

With the sun rising on the planet that never sleeps, another class of hopeful youngsters was meeting each other for the first time in the Jedi Temple. It was so exciting for most of them seeing so many new things and meeting so many new people. All of them between three and four years old, a class of twenty kids were sitting on the floor of a circular classroom. They each had brand new, light brown Jedi tunics and large, grey universal helmets. Some of the kids were so small that when they walked they practically looked like a walking helmet. It was this frequent occurrence that awarded all Jedi Initiates the nickname 'buckets.'

The class of Jedi initiates were sitting on the floor as one at a time stood up to talk to the class. Jedi Master Jocasta Nu sat off to one side to watch over and guide the day's lessons. This was an introductory session where each student was to share with their peers what species they were, what planet they were from and what made their planet special. Among the hopeful Jedi was Ahsoka Tano who recently was brought to the Jedi Temple by Master Plo Koon. She was energetic and eager, but also quite shy. Some of the kids who spoke were funny and others were boring. At the moment, Ahsoka was interested in hearing more about Ryloth as a young, pink twi'lek girl spoke.

"I don't know why, but it has something to do with how the planet spins." Ahsoka listened intently as the very young girl was sharing with the class. "Anyways, the sun never moves in our sky. It makes one side too hot and the other side too cold. We live right in the middle between where the two sides of the planet meet because it's nice there. It's like a ring of twilight that goes around the planet and that is how we got the 'twi' part of our name, twi'lek." The girl bowed and the classroom full of toddlers clapped.

Ahsoka began fidgeting nervously on the floor where she sat. She felt Jedi Master Jocasta Nu's eyes gazing at her. Sure enough, the elderly Jedi librarian called her name. "Ahsoka. How about you go next?"

A fairly shy and high-pitched voice slipped out from the cowering form of a three year old togruta girl. "That's alright, Master. I'm happy to wait while others go." The little twi'lek girl who had just finished returned to her seat on the floor next to Ahsoka and offered a kind smile.

Jocasta smiled gently and sat back in her chair. "Oh, I very much doubt that. I think you'd be better off sharing now than dreading your turn any longer. Step forward, young one."

Reluctantly and after an awkward moment of hesitation, Ahsoka Tano stood up and faced what would become her Jedi Youngling classmates. Seeing all of their eyes looking at her, she froze. Ahsoka just stood there, shaking a little from nerves. Most of the other kids only had one or two vague memories from their homes and families. Togrutan memories were very sharp though. Ahsoka didn't need to research her home for this assignment. She remembered and she longed for the comforting embrace of her mother. A few of the kids started to giggle at her shyness, but Jocasta reprimanded them quickly. The little twi'lek girl who spoke previously was sitting right at Ahsoka's feet. She leaned forward and grabbed Ahsoka's hand. "Hey, it's not so bad. Just talk to me, not the whole class.

Ahsoka found some confidence in those words and took a deep breath to speak. "Hello. My name is Ahsoka Tano. I'm a togruta from the planet Shili."

A few of the boys in the back of the class started laughing. A human boy spoke up amidst the laughter. "Your planet's name is Silly? Ha ha ha! Is it bright pink and covered in candy trees!?" Master Jocasta quickly silenced the outburst, but Ahsoka's confidence was wounded already. The twi'lek girl squeezed Ahsoka's hand to bring Ahsoka a bit more confidence.

Once Jocasta had quieted the boys, she motioned for Ahsoka to continue. Again, Ahsoka named her planet. "Its name is Shili." She waited just in case there would be any more heckling, but Jocasta had successfully put the fear of the Force in those boys. So, Ahsoka continued. "My planet is not like most of yours. While it does have technology, it is also very wild. There are big monsters that hunt at night when everyone's sleeping. Most animals on my world are meat eaters… my people included."

Ahsoka waited for someone to make a remark, but they all looked a bit hung up on the 'monsters at night' bit as if they were listening to a scary story. "What I mean is, my people only eat meat. We don't eat fruits or vegetables like most of you. That's why we have sharp teeth." Ahsoka pulled at her cheeks to reveal pointier teeth than those of her classmates accompanied by two little fangs. A few of the kids gasped at seeing the more animalistic side of the little girl.

Once they all had their reactions, she continued with the assisted bravery of the twi'lek girl holding her hand. "While my people do have sharp teeth, we are gentle and kind. We value life and art. There are still the monsters though that hunt at night and sometimes they hunt us." Ahsoka removed her initiate's cap to reveal her two little round montrals and tried to hold back her smile as the students were so captivated by the description of her planet. She was enjoying them seeing her in a new light. It was like they respected her more. "My people have these montrals… or horns, to hear them coming. We don't have ears. I don't really know how they're different, but I hear through these and they are very sensitive. My people can hear the monsters coming and get ready for them."

The kids were, for the most part, captivated by her story and eagerly awaited to learn more about her world. She couldn't think of anything else though. "Umm… that's it. The end." Ahsoka bowed slowly as her classmates clapped in approval. She then shot straight down to the floor as quick as possible hoping that the attention would be redirected to the next student.

Jocasta Nu smiled and applauded Ahsoka's turn sharing about her planet. "Well done, little one. Very well done. Now who's next?"

As the Jedi Master went about selecting the next person to share, Ahsoka leaned towards her new friend, the pink twi'lek girl. "Thank you. You really helped."

"You seemed to be doing just fine once you got started. Maybe you have more confidence than you think." The twi'lek smiled. "I'm Rava by the way."

"I really liked them looking at me like I was tough." Ahsoka giggled.

"Well, maybe you are." Rava smiled and joined in the soft giggling. Jocasta shushed them and motioned for the next child to begin speaking. Ahsoka and Rava shared each other's confidence for the remainder of the class. Together, no one could bug them at all.

* * *

Later that day, Ahsoka was escorted back to her class' dormitory after one of her many aptitude tests. She and her class were still technically not younglings yet. There were tests to be run still and until that time they all lived in larger rooms that contained several bunk beds. They would get their own rooms once they were finished being initiated into the Jedi Order.

Ahsoka had anticipated entering her dorm to find a bunch of fairly rowdy kids like herself, but it was mainly empty. The kids must have been going through their own aptitude tests. She found her way to the girls' side of the dorm and started hearing familiar voices. It was the boys that were giving her a hard time during class. Ahsoka cautiously made her way towards them while making sure to stay between bunk beds as much as possible.

She followed the voices to the back corner of the large bunk room and immediately started feeling agitated. Surrounded and trapped in the corner, Rava was being teased by three boys. Two of them were human and one was a zabrak. The most outspoken and clearly the leader of the three was the tallest human boy. He was the one who called Ahsoka's planet 'planet Silly.' He was poking Rava and teasing her about being a twi'lek. "Come on, Rava. You said your people were good dancers! Dance for us!"

Rava didn't say anything. She was just making herself as small as possible in her corner and hoping that it would all be over soon. The boy continued poking. "Can you make those stubby little headtails move? Or was that just a lie when you said tailheads could do that?" The other two boys were laughing and taking their own turns poking Rava; trying to find tickle spots to make her laugh despite the bullying. The term 'tailheads' was all Ahsoka needed to hear. Being a loose-fitting derogatory term that applied to togrutas too was well more than enough for Ahsoka to intervene. Coupled with the situation of her new friend being the target of the bullying, Ahsoka took a deep breath and steeled herself for a confrontation.

Ahsoka charged towards the boys from behind and forced herself into the corner standing between Rava and her foes. The leader, Vix, was amused. "Hey look! It's the Silly Girl who sleeps with monsters!" The other boys laughed to appease their leader, but cautiously given the look on Ahsoka's face.

"Leave my friend alone!" Ahsoka shouted and shoved the boy back a few steps. Her action didn't have the intended effect. The boy recovered and then bore a sinister grin as if he was going to enjoy a good fight. The other two were ready to back him up.

Rava whimpered from behind Ahsoka. "Just leave us alone! You're not acting like Jedi at all!"

"Quiet!" The leader boy shouted while pointing his finger. "We're not Jedi yet! You're next after Silly!"

"You wouldn't last two minutes on Shili." Ahsoka growled. She had heard more than enough. With as intimidating of a growl as a three year old girl could muster, she made herself look as big as possible and grimaced her face. She made sure to show her fangs amidst her pointed teeth and practically roared at them. "You want to mess with a monster!?"

The boys had gotten more than they bargained for. Ahsoka scared them senseless and they bolted out of the room as quick as they could. Ahsoka kept snarling and growling for a little bit after they'd left just in case they peeked back inside. As soon as she was sure that they were gone, she plopped down on the floor and laughed so hard tears began falling from her eyes. Amidst her giggles she looked back at Rava who was coming around to face her. "Did you see their faces!? And these are just my baby fangs! Ha ha ha ha!"

Rava was shaken by the experience, but it didn't take long for her to join Ahsoka laughing it away. As the giggle-fits subsided, Rava turned to Ahsoka and looked at her in a new light. "What happened to being shy?"

Ahsoka stopped laughing and thought seriously for a moment as she wiped her eyes. With a smile, she took Rava's hand. "I guess I just needed someone to believe in me." They both smiled for a moment, and then began giggling again. "Besides, those faces were worth it!"


	2. Ahsoka Tano - Jedi Initiate - Age: 5

**"The Room of a Thousand Fountains"**

The sun had barely risen as the class of younglings walked silently through the halls of the Jedi Temple. Normally, a few would chatter or behave a little unruly, but Jedi Grand Master Yoda was escorting them. He was going to teach them another lesson about the Force. They were a young class, most of which only slightly taller than the ancient Jedi, but they already had a fairly strong knowledge of which Jedi Masters they needed to behave in front of. There was no Jedi authority above Yoda. While kind, patient, and nurturing, no one wanted to get under Yoda's disciplinary radar. It was he who would eventually decide when they were ready to split into smaller classes for training after all. If there was anything every single Jedi Youngling wanted, it was to become a Jedi Padawan Learner as quickly as possible.

Though early, many Jedi were already awake and heading for various parts of the Temple. It seemed to be almost a part of the Jedi Code to be an early bird. It was that unwritten rule that Jedi Youngling Ahsoka Tano despised. The small, orange-skinned togruta couldn't stop yawning as she struggled to keep up with her class. It didn't help matters that she was the last Youngling to get in line. Walking the halls of the Jedi Temple with no one behind her was almost an invitation to move slower. Listening to the 'master of masters' talk about patience was going to be the defeat in her fight against falling back asleep. They already did the headcount back at the Jedi Academy assembly room. So, Ahsoka was already technically attending. The idea of her not being missed in a group of thirty Jedi Younglings crept into little Ahsoka's mind.

The spark of mischief began to compel her. As the long, single file of students was wrapping around a corner, Ahsoka deviated from the back of the line and turned around. Ignoring the excitement of playing hooky and threat of being caught waking her up to an alerted state, Ahsoka began making her way back to the Youngling dormitory. The reward of sleeping in was worth any punishment in her mind. The young togruta girl tried to make herself as discrete and unnoticed as possible as she turned down each hall. She was going to make it! With only one more hallway between Ahsoka and her bed, the little girl turned the next corner with a gleeful spring in her step, but was immediately frozen in fear when her sky blue eyes spotted Jedi Master Mace Windu.

The current head of the Jedi Academy Disciplinary Committee and member of the Jedi Council, Mace Windu was just leaving the Youngling Dormitory with his own class of pupils. He never wanted to, but was required to participate in the development of the future Jedi. Ahsoka had precious seconds to make herself scarce. His eyes were focused on one of his students at the moment, but he'd spot her quickly since she didn't have a class around that she was accompanying. In a mad dash for anything out of sight, Ahsoka bolted for a door along the wall she was walking beside. Mace heard the door swish open, but didn't catch the sight of anyone. Ahsoka made it through unseen.

Unfortunately, Ahsoka couldn't stop as quickly as she started and was very surprised to find stairs on the other side of her escape route door. She tumbled down a few steps before catching a grip on the railing lining the wall. Ahsoka steadied herself and fought back a few tears as she examined a few new bumps and bruises. Her plan was to hide until Master Windu had passed, but the stairwell sparked her curiosity. The Jedi Temple was full of elevators. Why were there stairs anywhere? Ahsoka thought she was on the ground floor of the temple, but the stairwell was leading downward through what seemed like several floors. Allowing her curiosity to get the best of her, the five year old youngling started walking down the stairs wondering where they led.

It was a rather dark stairwell. Only a few soft amber lights glowed dimly from the walls as the stairs spiraled downward further and further. Ahsoka's imagination was starting to get the better of her as she thought about what might be hidden so far below the Jedi Temple, but her thoughts were interrupted as she came to the base of the steps. There wasn't any corridor or large room. All that stood at the base of the stairs was a large stone door. It was unusual for Ahsoka to see since most doors in the Jedi Temple were made of metal and opened automatically. There was no button to open the door and it appeared to be made out of solid rock.

The little girl pushed and kicked the stone door, but it wouldn't budge. Getting frustrated, Ahsoka backed up onto a step and launched a full-force kick at the door only to feel the entire shock of the impact recoil through her little togruta body. She fell with an ungraceful thud and began to softly cry at the pain and frustration. Hearing the echoes of her cries in the hollow stairwell, Ahsoka remembered how she always boasted about being tough in front of her peers and quickly recovered even though no one was around to see her. She nearly gave up and headed back up the stairs, but then she noticed the Jedi insignia engraved on the stone door. That meant that only Jedi were permitted to enter.

The epiphany struck in that moment and Ahsoka tried another tactic for opening the stubborn door. She walked right up to it and raised her hands. Ahsoka's eyes closed and her brow furled as she focused all of her energy and concentration into the Force. After what felt like a very long moment of nothing happening, the door began to shake. Her eyes popped open in excitement to see her progress. Concentration interrupted, the door immediately stopped rumbling and returned to stillness. The Jedi Youngling pouted a bit and gave herself a small lecture about focus. Then, with double the determination, she raised her hands again.

The stone door rumbled louder and louder, but she didn't look. She was going to open this door! Her resolution proved fruitful as the door began to rise. Ahsoka could see through her closed eyelids that light was starting to beam into the stairwell from the other side. When she thought the door was open all the way, she peeked one eye open. The door was barely high enough for her to walk under. Ahsoka's gaze quickly began observing what she could see on the other side of the door, but it cost her some focus. The door began to lower. Seizing her opportunity, Ahsoka leapt forward and rolled under the door as quickly as she could. The large stone door slammed down right behind her, but she was in.

The concern of getting out of the room was a fleeting thought as Ahsoka Tano took in her new surroundings. Though in the sublevels of the Jedi Temple, it appeared as though she had stepped outside! There wasn't a ceiling. There was a beautiful amber sky matching that of a clear sunrise. The room was hardly a room by description. She looked out and saw a forest littered with streams, waterfalls and walking paths. The air was warm and moist like her home planet of Shili. Beautiful plants were beginning to bloom all around the young togruta as she slowly began to explore the underground oasis. Ahsoka didn't care what sort of illusion or technology was offering such an environment. She just couldn't be happier to be where she was. She climbed and quickly found her way to the highest point in the entire room. A steep hilltop in the center of the room with a sizeable waterfall cascading down from it, Ahsoka stood at the top and examined her new paradise.

It was then that the excitement finally wore off. The environment relaxed her with the warm atmosphere and the sounds of the waterfall. Ahsoka finally remembered why she was skipping class. She was going to go back to sleep. Safe on the other side of an aggravatingly heavy stone door, Ahsoka curled up on a patch of grass at the top of the hill. A lone tree offered her some shade from the increasingly bright 'sky' and she fell into a peaceful sleep.

Many hours passed as Ahsoka Tano slept in her own little sanctuary. She finally awoke, however, to the sound of a familiar 'thud.' Her eyes popped open and Ahsoka jumped behind a rock before peering down from her hilltop. She spotted the large stone door as it came to rest once again and the figure of someone who had just entered. At first, Ahsoka thought it might have been Mace Windu or Ki-Adi-Mundi searching for the missing Youngling, but the silhouette of the figure suggested otherwise. With two tall horns, a feminine figure, and long, layered robes, the newcomer to the room was no other than Jedi Master Shaak Ti.

Ahsoka had briefly seen the togruta Jedi Council member, but had never formally met her. Master Ti didn't appear to be searching for anyone. She swiftly made her way down one of the many winding paths through the forested room as if she knew exactly where she was going with significant familiarity. Curiosity driving her further, Ahsoka left the security of her hilltop and began following the Jedi Master. Ahsoka maintained a safe distance as she followed Shaak Ti down one path and then another and another. There were plenty of benches and springs to relax, but Shaak didn't seem to be even taking in the scenery. She had a specific destination.

Finally, once following the togruta Jedi Master was very boring, Ahsoka saw Master Ti reach her destination. It was a small garden in a clearing surrounded by trees with one, lonely tree stump off to one side. Ahsoka remained hidden behind a tree as Shaak observed the garden with an analytic demeanor. Once she was done looking it over, Shaak walked over to a tree near the tree stump and took off her long, formal Jedi robes. Ahsoka instinctively looked away in embarrassment, but quickly noticed that the Jedi Master was still wearing a thin, loose but form-fitting Jedi tunic and pants under her robes. She hung her long robes on a tree branch as if it was a regular and practiced motion and then sat down on the tree stump.

Shaak Ti removed her boots and sat them under the tree where her robes were hanging. She then stood up, turned back to the stump and used the Force to take the top of it off. The stump popped open to reveal a small storage compartment. Ahsoka gasped in surprise, but quickly muffled her breathing with her hands over her mouth. A thin smile crept across Shaak's face, but the Jedi Master pretended not to hear anything. She reached into the tree stump and pulled out a few small gardening tools. Spade and sheers in hand, Shaak walked into the garden and knelt down near the middle. Ahsoka was incredibly disappointed. After all of her 'expert' spying and stealth, the Jedi Master was pulling weeds and gardening? The young togruta girl sighed in disappointment, but remained behind her tree. Perhaps something interesting would happen eventually.

The artificial sky of the room was mimicking the afternoon sun. After about an hour of tedious gardening, Shaak Ti had enough fun tormenting an extremely bored Youngling Ahsoka Tano. Without stopping her trimming and pruning, Shaak Ti spoke loud enough for Ahsoka to hear. "Are you going to keep hiding until I leave?" Ahsoka didn't respond. She wasn't sure if Shaak was talking to her or someone else that may have entered. There was also the growing fear of being in trouble. Ahsoka was skipping all of her lessons for the day after all and Master Ti was a Jedi Council member (aka big trouble). "How about I promise that you aren't in any trouble? I promise that I will speak nothing of your presence here." Shaak looked up and to her left in the exact direction that Ahsoka was hiding in.

Ahsoka poked her head out from behind her tree. In her fairly high-pitched and youthful voice, she spoke up. "Promise you won't tell on me?"

Shaak giggled a little at Ahsoka's innocence. "I promise. Come here child. You're Ahsoka, aren't you?" Ahsoka timidly walked forward into full view. She squinted in the bright light as she came out from under the shade of the tree and into the garden. "Master Plo Koon had told me of a young togruta girl he had found on Shili. I must say that I am quite pleased to meet you finally."

"You're not mad at me?" Ahsoka felt ashamed for hiding. In hindsight, she couldn't believe that she ever thought that she could hide from a Jedi Master.

Shaak smiled and held out her hand. "Not at all. In fact, I'm impressed that you managed to get past the door to get in here. Come. Would you like to help me with some gardening?"

Ahsoka stepped forward and took Shaak's hand. Master Ti motioned for the Youngling to sit down next to her. Ahsoka looked up at Shaak with a puzzled face. "If you don't mind my asking, what is this place?" Ahsoka asked.

"This is the Room of a Thousand Fountains. It is a haven and sanctuary for us Jedi." The red-skinned togruta Jedi Master answered.

"Sanctuary from what?" Ahsoka asked quickly. She was immediately intrigued and in full-throttle, five-year-old, rapid-fire question mode.

"From many things and nothing." Shaak answered. "Some Jedi come here just to meditate. Some come to escape the urban sprawl of Coruscant… and some come here to skip classes." She looked down at Ahsoka with a smirk.

Ahsoka hunched down and felt a little bit smaller for a moment, but only a moment. She quickly shot off another question. "What are you here for?"

"I come here regularly to tend to this garden." Shaak answered as she reached over and trimmed another vegetable plant.

"But…" Ahsoka was confused. "You're like me. We're togruta… We only eat meat. Can you grow meat?"

Shaak Ti laughed for a good long moment, but then regained her composure. "My goodness, no, you can't grow meat. You are right, though. I can't eat any of the fruits or vegetables in this garden.

"Then why do you work on it? Why grow any of these?" Ahsoka's curiosity was compounded with her glee of spending time with another togruta.

"You'll learn in time, if you attend your classes, that being a Jedi means living for others, not for yourself. True, I don't benefit from the harvest of this garden, but most of what we eat in the Jedi Temple is synthetic food. Sure, our artificial foods taste pleasant and provide us with the nutrients we need, but it can bring so much happiness to some when given the chance to eat fresh food." Shaak looked down at Ahsoka who still looked confused. "I do this for the other Jedi. It's one of the many ways that I can give back to the Order."

"So, you do all of this work for them? Don't you get anything out of it?" Ahsoka looked at a fresh fruit and tried to imagine it being tasty with no success.

"Well…" Shaak Ti thought for a moment. "Working in this garden teaches me patience which is essential to a Jedi's life. I also enjoy this room. It reminds me of my home planet. It feels like…"

"Home." Ahsoka finished the statement. "It's one of the few things I can remember."

"We do have stronger memories than most Jedi. It's important not to dwell on what you miss. Revel in the experience of living in the moment." Shaak put a guiding hand on Ahsoka's shoulder. Ahsoka smiled and took hold of one of the pruning shears. With a big grin, she proceeded to cut a plant in half. Biting her tongue, Shaak assertively stopped Ahsoka's potential mayhem. "Perhaps I should teach you how to help before you try and help with the garden."

Ahsoka, unaware of any harm she may have just caused, looked up at Shaak Ti. "I'd like that."


End file.
